Today (1930) M.P.T. 56 Unknown actors M.P.T. 71 Julia Swayne Gordon (left) 103 Conrad Nagel and Julia Swayne Gordon. Catherine Dale Owen's portrait is on the table. TODAY NAGEL EXCELLENT! Produced and distributed by Majestic Pictures. Directed by William Nigh. Authors, Abraham Schomer and George Broadhurst. Dialog by Abraham Schomer and George Broadhurst. Adapted by Seton I. Miller. Camera, Jimme Howe (James Wong Howe). With Conrad Nagel, Catherine dale Owen, Sarah Paden, John Maurice Sullivan, Judith Vosselli, Julia Swayne Gordon, William Bailey, Edna Marion, E. Thornby, D. Demarest. Release date, November 1, 1930. Footage, 7100. MAJESTIC pictures has done an excellent piece of work in the screen adaptation of the stage play of the same name, with onors going in particular to William Nigh, the director, for an intelligent and dramatic film, concluding with a real punch; and to Conrad Nagel, the star, for an exceptionally fine portrayal. Nagel takes the part of a young man who had built up a fortune in Wall Street, only to have it crash about his ears. His wife, played by Catherine Dale Owen, once having become used to luxury, cannot bring herself to give it up. The manner in which she permits herself, under the guidance of a false feminine friend, to slip into an easy way of regaining the finery she had lost in the crash, and the efforts of her husband to start afresh, make up the theme of a highly dramatic story to which added effectiveness is given by the work of Nagel. His discovery, quite by accident, of his wife's conduct, and the final sequence which is as interesting as it is surprising, ends the film with a real climax. The supporting cast in on the whole decidedly competent. In the early stages of the film, Miss Owen rather overdoes her lines. Her work does not come up to the high standard set by Conrad Nagel. Photography is on the whole good, with most of the film set in interiors. The home to which the couple move with the husband's parents after the bankruptcy, however, is rather too sumptuous to appear consistent with the circumstances to which they were supposed to have been reduced. This is essentially a highly sophisticated story of the modern day, with a cleverly implied contrast between the young wife, who could not bring herself to stick by her huband when their circunstance were poor, and the mother whose only though was for the son. Nigh has succeeded admirably in conveying the theme of his story by means of successive dramatic highlights, leaving much to the imagination of the audience. It is probably true that not all types of people will readily appreciate this picture, as far as theme and treatment is concerned, but the performance of Conrad Nagel should be enjoyed by anyone. -- Charles S. Aaronson, New York City. -- Exhibitors Herald-World, November 29, 1930, page 31 with Conrad Nagel, Catherine Dale Owen, and Julia Swayne Gordon. Directed by William Nigh. Majestic. More Information on this film...                                      This work (Today (1930), by Paramount), identified by Bruce Calvert, is free of known copyright restrictions. Books (none) Last Modified April 11, 2024